Subject Verb Agreement

Subject Verb Agreement

Read the following sentences and try to understand what is being talked about; yet the most error-prone area of English grammar. Let us call it SVA, short for subject-verb agreement. These are essentially errors that result when you try to match a singular noun with a plural verb or vice versa.

Make your verb agree with your subject

A verb must agree with its subject, not with any additive phrase in the sentence such as a prepositional or verbal phrase.

Don't let all the clutter confuse you. Look for the subject, look for the verb and make sure they agree.

1.      Your copy of these rules is on the desk. (Don't let the plural rules" right before "is" mislead you. Here the subject is copy" and is "agrees with it.)

2.      The video will not be available until the dispute over video rights is settled. (Ignore everything between 'dispute" and "is"and just make sure they agree with each other.)

3.      Ms. Hema's record of community service, outstanding teaching ability and thorough involvement with the university qualifies for her promotion. (The "record" "qualifies"he.',^• don't let everything else between the subject and the verb confuse you. 

•
	Common errors	The correct form	Why? (The theory)
1	At the end of the	At the end of the	In an inverted sentence
	Dusshera holidays	Dusshera holidays come	beginning with a
	comes the best sales.	the best sales.	prepositional phrase, the
			verb still agrees with its subject.
2	The problem are taxes.	The problem is taxes.
3	Under the house is      .	Under the house are
	some old jars.	some old jars.
4	Somebody in Detroit	Somebody in Detroit	Indefinite pronouns such as
	love me.	loves me.	each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, and
5	Neither of my parents	Neither of my parents
	have a formal	has a formal education.	everything are always
	education.		singular. Eek!!
6	Either are fine with	Either is fine with me.
	me.
7	Both of my sisters has	Both of my sisters have	Indefinite pronouns such as
	decided to live off	decided to live off	several, few, both, and many
	campus.	campus.	are always plural. Pooh!!
8	Few seeks the	Few seek the
	enlightenment of higher education.	enlightenment of higher education.
9	A few of the members	A few of the members
	disagrees with the	disagree with the
	proposal.	proposal.
10	Only a handful of the	Only a handful of the
	protesters remains,	protesters remain.

May be singular, may be plural

Indefinite pronouns such as "some", "any", "none", "all" and "most" (SANAM) may be singular or plural depending what they refer to.

       1.  Some of the food is cold.                            

       2.   Some of the vegetables are cold.

       3.  Some of the students are late for class.         

       4.   All she wants is to be happy.

       5.  All her dreams have come true.                   

      6.   Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.

       7.  Any friends he had were few and far between. 

       8.    Some of the meat is raw.

       9.   I can think of some remarks in retort, but none seem appropriate.

With "none" we use the plural or singular form according to whether it is one or many things that we're referring to.

       1.   None of the girls is married.                      2.   None of the children is as sweet as Mary Ann.

       3.   None of the criminals have been arrested.

Fractions such as "one-half" and "one-third" may be singular or plural depending on what they refer to.

1.    Half of the mail has been opened.               2.    Half of the letters have been read.

Subjects joined by "and "take a plural verb unless the subjects are thought to be one item or unit.

1     Jai and Veeru are radio jockeys.

2.        Incorrect: Jai and Veeru each is applying for the position. Correct: Jai and Veeru each are applying for the position.

3.        Guns and Roses is my favourite rock group.

4.        Chicken and dumplings is my favourite holiday dish.

5.        A psychiatric analysis and examination has been done.

6.        The great poet and scholaris dead.

7.        My friend and benefactor has come.

8.        Bread and butter makes a good breakfast. (Taken together)

9.        Slow and steady wins the race.

10.     Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

One man, two roles

Remember that when two nouns point to only one person or thing, article "the" is used only once with the first noun:

The Chief Engineer and Manager of the factory has agreed. (One person holding two positions.)

If "the" is used before each noun separately, this would mean two persons or things, and in that case the plural verb should be used.

The Chief Engineer and the Manager of the factory have agreed. (Two different persons.)

	Common errors	The correct form	Why? (The theory)
1	Either the teacher or	Either the teacher or the	In cases where the subjects
	the students is responsible.	students are responsible.	are joined by "or',    "nor",
			"either . . . or", or "neither . . . nor", the verb must agree
2	Neither the students nor	Neither the students nor
	the teacher are responsible.	the teacher is responsible.	with the subject closer to it.
			Bingo!!
3	Is either my brothers or my	Are either my brothers or my
	father responsible?	father responsible?
4	Are either my father or	Is either my father or my
	my brothers responsible?	brothers responsible?
5	She is one of the girls	She is one of the girls	Relative pronouns, such as
	who cheers on Friday	who cheer on Friday	"who', "which"or "that",
	nights,	nights,	which refer to plural
			antecedents require plural verbs. However, when the
6	She is the only one of	She is the only one of
	the cheerleaders who	the cheerleaders who has	relative pronoun refers to a
	have a broken leg.	a broken leg.	single subject, the pronoun
			takes a singular verb.
7	They each is applying	They each are applying	Subjects preceded by
	for the position.	for the position.	"every', "each", and "many a"are singular.
8	Every man, woman, and	Every man, woman, and
	child were given a life	child was given a life
	preserver.	preserver.	Yippee!!
9	Many a tear have to	Many a tear has to fall,
	fall,   but it's all in the	but it's all in the game.
	game.	•
10	Each of the students	Each of the students
	work after school.	works after school.

When many come together

A collective noun, such as "audience", "faculty" or "jury", requires a singular verb when the group is regarded as a whole and a plural verb when the members of the group are regarded as individuals.

With collective nouns, the usage depends on the sense. If the collective noun represents a whole group or a body (institution), it takes a singular verb. But, if the collective noun represents a part or parts or divisions of a body, it takes a plural verb.

These are some of the commonly used collective nouns: Government, parliament, assembly, council, committee, army, crew, staff, jury, fleet, crowd, administration, audience, class, crowd, faculty, orchestra, team, majority, mob, etc.

1       The committee has agreed on this issue. (The verb is singular because there is no division in the committee.)

2       The committee are divided on this issue. (Here the verb is plural because the committee is divided.)

3       The crew is well trained. (Here the verb is singular because the "crew" represents one undivided group.)

4      The crew were taken prisoners. (Here the verb is plural because the members of the crew have to be taken prisoners separately.)

5.       The Parliament has elected its Speaker.

6.       The military were deployed over the troubled area.

7.       The fleet has touched the shore.

8.       The government has decided to introduce the Bill.

9.       The assembly is in session.

10.    The mob has dispersed.

11.    The mob have started throwing stones.

12.    The jury has come to a unanimous verdict.

13.    The jury are divided in opinion.

14.    The jury has made its decision.

15.    The faculty are preparing their presentations.

16.    The group of bizarrely dressed youths is taking over the cafeteria.

17.    The Kapoor family is going on vacation this year.

18.    The Kapoor family are going to fight all the way through their vacation.

19.   A herd of elephants was charging towards us.

20.    The class is very noisy today.

21.    My football team is doing really well.

22.   The bag of shopping was too heavy to carry. (Bag of shopping = singular subject. Lots of shopping, but there's only one bag).

"People", in the sense of "group of persons", is always used in the plural number. But when "people" is used in the sense of a "nation", it can be used both as singular (a people) and as plural (collectively referring to people hailing from different nations).

I. The peoples of India and China are hardworking.                

2.       We Indians are an emotional people.

Subjects preceded by "the number ofor "the percentage of" are singular, while subjects preceded by "a number of" or "a percentage of" are plural.

The same rule applies to some other phrases of indefinite number like manyof, a handfu/of, the restof, half of, a quarter of, some of, most of, majority of, minority of, part of, percent of, none of, all of, a few of, etc.

1. A number of children are playing.                                              

2.     A number of students are absent.

3. The number of students is going down.                                    

4.     The number of graduates is increasing.

5. The number of guests varies.                                                      

6.     A large percentage of the vacationers are senior citizens.

Some nouns such as deer, shrimp and sheep have the same spelling for both their singular and plural 

forms. In these cases, the meaning of the sentence will determine whether they are singular or plural.

1. Deerare beautiful animals.                                                    

2.      The spotted deer is licking the sugar cube.

Always singular

Titles of books, companies, brand names, and groups are singular.

1. Great Expectations is my favourite novel.                              

2.    Cats is my favourite musical.

3. The Untouchables was a very violent movie.                         

4.    The X-files is re-screening this evening.  

5. Is "dinosaurs"spelt dinosuars or dinosaurs?

"Words" used as "words", not as "grammatical parts" of the sentence, require singular verbs.

1. "Can't" is the contraction for cannot.                            2.      "Cats" is the plural form of cat.

Some nouns are always used in the singular number - poetry, scenery, machinery, stationery, crockery, luggage, baggage, postage, knowledge, breakage, jewellery, information, furniture, money and wastage.

1.     Kashmir is famous for its colourful scenery. (Not sceneries)

2.     It is an anthology of poetry. (Not poetries)

3.     He has imported all his machinery from Germany. (Not machineries)

4.     The laboratory equipment is made of glass. (Not equipments)

5.     I have no information from him. (Not informations)

Note - If it is necessary to indicate the singular or plural form of these nouns we place "a piece (or pieces) of", "an item(s) of", "an article(s) of" etc. before the noun, without changing the form of the noun.

1. I have a piece of information for you.                                  

2.      This item of your furniture is really beautiful.

3. I don't like this article of jewellery.                              

4.      All kinds of furniture are available here.

5. I want only a few articles of stationery.                      

6.      The pieces of equipment were found damaged.

A verbal noun (infinitive or gerund) serving as a subject is treated as singular, even if the object of the verbal phrase is plural.

1. Hiding your mistakes does not make them go away.         2.      To run five miles is my goal.

A noun phrase or clause acting as the subject of a sentence requires a singular verb.

1.      What I need is to be loved.

2.      Whether there is any connection between the two events is unknown.

3.      The best thing about birthdays is the presents.

Some nouns like measles, news, physics, politics, mathematics, mechanics, summons, gallows, calculus, innings etc., which appear plural in form, are actually singular in number.

1. Politics is not an easy game.

3. A gallows is made of wood or iron. 5. The news is correct.

7. Measles is a dreadful disease.

9. Politics has lost its moral character.

  2.     A summons has come from the court.

  4.     Mathematics is a difficult subject.

  6.     Their first innings was disappointing.

  8.     Calculus requires great skill in algebra.

Some nouns ending in -ics, such as economics and ethics, take singular verbs when they refer to principles, a system or a field of study; however, when they refer to individual practices or applications, they usually take plural verbs.

1.    Ethics is being taught in the spring.                                    

2.    His unusual business ethics get him into trouble.

3.    Economics is an interesting subject.                                   

4.     The economics of your project are all wrong

5.    Statistics is taught at B-schools.                                         

6.     No statistics are available on calls-to-conversions ratio.

When adjectives of quantity (like much, more, little, less, lots, etc.) are used as subjects, they take a singular verb.

        1.    Much has already been done.                                2.    Little has been done so far.

        3.    Much more is still needed.                                    4.    Much less was expected.

        5.    Lots is still needed.

Always plural

Some words ending in -s refer to a single thing but are nonetheless plural and require a plural verb. (Also refer to "Singular in pair" below.)        t

These include: Alms, thanks, riches, caves, species, scissors, trousers, pants, clippers, tongs, bellows, gallows, fangs, measles, eyeglasses, goggles, amends, annals, archives, ashes, arrears, athletics, auspices, belongings, breeches, bowels, braces, binoculars, billiards, customs, congratulations, dregs, earnings, entrails, embers, fetters, fireworks, lodgings, lees, mumps, odds, outskirts, particulars, proceeds, proceedings, regards, remains, savings, shambles, shears, spectacles, surroundings, tidings, troops, tactics, vegetables, valuables, wages, works, innings, etc.

        1.    His trousers are dirty.                                            

        2.    What are your monthly earnings?

        3.    My assets were wiped out in the depression.            

        4.    The average worker's earnings have gone up dramatically.

        5.    Our thanks go to the workers who supported the union. 

        6.    He gave him alms.

        7.    He lives on the outskirts of the town.

Some nouns are singular in form but plural in use, always taking a plural verb.

Examples: Cattle, gentry, clergy, cavalry, infantry, nobility, poultry, peasantry, children, admiralty, yeomanry, etc.

Note: Family is used both as singular and as plural depending on the context.

        1.    The cattle are grazing in the field.                          

        2.     The peasantry are very happy.

        3.    Our cavalry are very strong.

Unusual forms

Certain nouns of Latin and Greek origin have unusual singular and plural forms.

Examples (plural in brackets): Criterion (criteria), alumnus (alumni), datum (data), medium (media).

1.      The data are available for inspection                      

2.     The only criterion for membership is a high GPA.

Singular in pair

Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking they're plural when they're really singular and vice-versa. Words such as trousers, glasses, pants, spectacles, jeans, shears, tongs, pliers, and scissors are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless they're preceded by pair of (in which case the word pair becomes the subject).

  1.    Your trousers are dirty.

  3.    The tongs are missing.

  5.    A pair of trousers is ready for you.

  7.    My glasses were on the bed.

  9.    A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.

  2.    Your scissors are blunt.

  4.    Where are your spectacles?

  6.    A pair of scissors is on the table.

  8.    My pants were torn.

 Of numbers and measures

Mathematical expressions of subtraction and division require singular verbs, while expressions of addition ormultipiication take either singular or plural verbs but it is best to stick to singular.

 1.   Ten divided by two equals five.                            

2.     Five times seven equals thirty-five.

3.   Two plus two is four (preferred).                            

4.     Two plus two are four (also correct but not preferred).

Nouns expressing time, distance, weight, and measurement are singular when they refer to a unit and plural when they refer to separate items.

  1.    Fifty yards is a short distance.                             

 2.    Ten years have passed since I finished college.

3.    Two hundred bottles of wine is plenty.                    

4.     One hundred dollars is too much to spend on a pair of sneakers!

 5.     Nine out of ten dentists recommend the new toothpaste.

Some nouns after definite numeral adjectives are always used in the singular number. But if the numeral adjective is indefinite, the nouns will be used in the plural number.

Examples: Pair, dozen, score, gross, stone, hundred, thousand, million, billion, etc.

1.    He bought two pair of shoes (not two pairs of shoes). 2.            He bought four dozen pencils.

3.    He is three score and ten (means seventy).           4.     I have five thousand rupees.

 5.    The city has ten million people.                            6.     He bought dozens of pencils.

 7.    Millions of people had to suffer as the gas leak went undetected for hours.

	1.    Here is a five-rupee note.             2.     Please lend me a ten-rupee note.

         3.    He gave me a hundred-rupee note.     4.     This is included in our five-year plan.

         5.    He fell down from a ten-foot high wall.                 6.     A three-man enquiry committee has been set up.

         7.    There was a twenty-foot deep ditch. 8.   A five-judge bench will hear this case.

If a numeral adjective and a fraction (a half, a quarter, three quarters, etc.) are to be used with a noun, the sentence must be carefully structured.

Noun should be used after the numeral adjective, and the number of the noun is singular or plural according to the numeral adjective. The fractions should be used after the noun.

Incorrect	Correct
The train is late by one and a half hours.	The train is late by one hour and a half.
I have one and a half rupees.	I have one rupee and a half.
I have read five and a half chapters.	I have read five chapters and a half.
The distance is four and three quarters kilometres.	The distance is four kilometres and three quarters.
Its weight is one and a half kilo.	Its weight is a kilo and a half.

BUT, if a numeral adjective and a fraction are joined by and, and they are used in the sense of multiplication, the noun is placed after them, and is always plural.

Incorrect	Correct
The amount will grow one time and a half.	The amount will grow one and a half
	times.
The amount will grow two times and a	The amount will grow two and a half
half.	times.

Singular, and also plural

"Wages" may be singular or plural.

1.        The wages of sin is death ('wages' is singular in only this sense)

2.       The wages are not so low these days.

A plural subject followed by a singular appositive requires a plural verb. Similarly, a singular subject followed by a plural appositive requires a singular verb.

1.        When the girls throw a party, they each bringa gift.

2.        The board, all ten members, is meeting today.

Same singular and plural

Some nouns remain the same in both singular and plural numbers and are used in the same form.

Examples: Swine, vermin, mankind, police, public, etc.

1.      The police has been informed.                                                 2.       The police have taken action.

3.      Swine are dirty animals.                                                           4.       You are a dirty swine.

Agree positively                                                                                                  ~e

If the sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and one is plural, and the other singular, the verb should agree with the positive subject.

1.        The department members but not the chair have decided not to teach on Valentine's Day.

2.        It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this issue.

3.        It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students to riot.

	Common errors	The correct form	Why? (The theory)
1	A dozen was injured.	A dozen were injured.	Some nouns (like dozen,
			score,  million, hundred, thousand, people and cattle)
2	The cattle is grazing.	The cattle are grazing.
			appear to be singular in form, but they are actually
3	The people issatisfied.	The people aresatisfied.
			plural in meaning and sense
			and take a plural verb.
4	Ship after ship arrive	Ship after ship arrives	If the same noun is repeated
	at the port.	at the port.	before and after a
			preposition, the noun is used in the singular each time,
5	Chance after chance	Chance after chance
	were lost,	was lost,	and the verb is also used in
			the singular number.
6	I, who is your friend,	I, who am your friend,	If the subject of a verb is a
	should help you.	should help you.	relative pronoun (who,
			whom, whose, which, that) the verb depends on the
7	You, my servant, is not	You, my servant, are not
	loyal to me.	loyal to me.	number and person of the
			antecedent (noun or pronoun
			used before it).
8	The poor is honest.	The poor are honest.	Certain adjectives when joined with "the"become
9	The dumb does not	The dumb do not speak.
	speak.		plural nouns, and take a verb
			in the plural number.
			Examples: Poor, rich,
			humble, blind, honest, dumb,
			lame, crippled etc.
10	Shakespeare was very	Shakespeare was very	If two or more adjectives are
	popular in the	popular in the sixteenth	connected with "and", and if
	sixteenth and	and seventeenth	an article has been used only
	seventeenth century.	centuries,	before the first adjective, the noun used after the
11	Shakespeare was very	Shakespeare was very
	popular in the	popular in the sixteenth	adjectives will be in the
	sixteenth and the	and the seventeenth	plural number. But if the
	seventeenth	century.	article is used before each
	centuries.		adjective, the noun will be
			singular.

Common gender

Some nouns and pronouns are of common gender or are said to have dual gender as these may be used as masculine or feminine.

Examples: Child, baby, friend, student, teacher, lecturer, professor, pupil, artist, author, reader, servant, worker, poet, speaker, writer, typist, engineer, lawyer, advocate, client, clerk, conductor, musician, politician, minister, leader, dealer, secretary, enemy, parent, relation, cousin, orphan, neighbour, person, president, monarch, etc.

Nouns of common gender that end in "-man" should not be used with feminine gender pronouns. In such cases, "­man" should be replaced by "-person".

Use chairperson, spokesperson, sportsperson, mediaperson, etc. instead of chairman, spokesman, sportswoman, mediarrian, etc.

A difficulty arises when the pronoun to be used with a common gender noun is in the singular number.

1.      Every teacher should do his duty.                    2.       Every teacher should do her duty.

The grammatically correct (but politically incorrect or sexist) way is to use the masculine gender.

1.      Every teacher should do his duty.                    2.       No student should waste his time.

A politically correct but clumsy way to restructure this is: Every teacher should do his or her duty.

A more accepted, politically correct version (which is, however, grammatically incorrect), is:

Every teacher should do their duty.

The best solution is to reconstruct the sentence: Teachers should do their duty

Let us look at some more examples, where a little restructuring helps us breathe easy.

Problematic	Better
Before the audition, each actor must submit	Before the audition, each actor must submit
his or her photograph.	a photograph. (It's obvious the producers
	don't want a picture of the family dog.)
Each doctor felt rewarded for his	The doctors felt rewarded for their
participation  in the clinic,	participation  in the clinic.
The student can depend on peer tutors to	The student can depend on peer tutors to
help sole':. his/her writing problems.	help solve writing problems.
If a motorist calls for help, she must pay	A motorist who calls for help must pay for
for the call. (This is a little sexist.	the  call.
Every customer deserves the most	Every customer deserves our most
courteous service we can give him.	courteous service.
Always do your best for the patient, no	Always do your best for the patient, not
matter how cranky s/he is.	matter how cranky the patient is. (There
	is some repetition, but the meaning is very
	clear.

Exceptions to the Subject-Verb Agreement rules

By now, you know the common SVA rule: A singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

What makes grammar so exciting is that there are exceptions to almost every rule!

Here are the exceptions to this general SVA rule:

Exception 1: Dare not,  need not

These are two typical verbs used in negative sentences. These are used in the plural form even with singular subjects. The third person singular is "need", and not "needs" just as "dare" is used for "dares" provided it is followed by a negative.

1.	He dare not oppose me. (Not dares)	2.	He need not work hard. (Not needs)
3.	She need not see a doctor.	4.	He needn't have gone to school on Sunday.
5.	He has got a car. He needn't have travelled by bus.	6.	He dare not slap her!
7.	She dare not go out.	8.	Need he go there?
9.	Need he try again?	10.	Dare he speak before you?
11.	Dare he repeat the mistake?	12.	They dare not oppose me.
13.	He need not go.	14.	He need never fear me.
15.	He need hardly take my help.	16.	He need scarcely demand any more help.
17.	He needn't smoke or drink at the party.	18.	He dare hardly speak before me.
19.	He daren't come before me.	20.	He daren't have gone alone in the deep woods.

Note-If "dare" and "need" are used in the affirmative sense (without "not") they take the plural form with the plural subject and singular form with the singular subject.

            1.     He needs a pen.                                                    2.     They need food.

            3.     She doesn't need a pen?                                       4.     Does he need to go there?

            5.     He dares me to climb the peak.                           6.     Does he dare to challenge you?

            7.     Will the girls dare to walk in the dark?

Exception 2: Verbs of supposition, in subjunctive mood

A plural verb is used with singular subjects in sentences expressing mere imagination or impossible hope, wish or condition.

1.        If I were a bird.

2.        Were I a king.

3.        How I wish she were here.

4.        If I were you, I would do it.

5.        He behaved as if he were our master.

6.        I wish I were a rich man. (But I'm not.)

7.        If I were you, I wouldn't do that. (But I'm not you).

8.        Airlines insist that each passenger pass through a metal detector. (Not passes)

9.        It's extremely important that silicon chips be made (Not are made) in a dust-free environment.

10.      Alexander the Great said, "If I were not Alexander, I would want to be Diogenes."

11.      The student would score more if he studied. (Not if he studies)

12.      She could be the leader if she ran for the office. (Not runs)

Verbs in subjunctive mood can be tricky. Let us look at more examples so that they are very clear.

Incorrect	Correct
The Supreme Court decreed that the Centre	The Supreme Court decreed that the Centre
will take charge of the situation.	take charge of the situation.
He wishes the train moves faster.	He wishes the train moved faster. (Here
	there is no possibility of the train moving
	faster.))
If I was the prime minister, I would	If I were the prime minister, I would
eradicate corruption,	eradicate corruption. ion.
I wish it was earlier	I wish it were earlier.
Suppose he speeds up suddenly.	Suppose he were to speed up suddenly.
If the college lowers its tuition fee, I	Should the college lower its tuition fee, I
would probably enrol,	would probably enrol.
	OR
	If the college lowered its tuition fee, I
	would probably enrol.
If he drives slower, he will recognise the	If he drove slower, he would recognise the
landmarks from now on.	landmarks from now on.
Ann suggested we should go to the	Ann suggested that we go to the Chinese
Chinese restaurant.	restaurant.
I insist you to be quiet.	I insist that you be quiet.
The supervisor preferred all workers to	The supervisor preferred that all workers
wear uniforms from now on.	wear uniforms from now on.
It is time you should realise your	It is time you realised your responsibility.
responsibility.
I would rather you learn English.	I would rather you learnt English.

Exception 3: Verbs of wish or blessing

In sentences expressing deep and sharp wish, blessing or hope, plural verb is used with singular subjects. In these sentences, the verb is used in the subjunctive mood. This use is now rare.

1.Long live the King!        2.     God save the King!   3.      Long live our friendship!

Noun errors

Noun errors may seem elementary but can really vixen (oops! that should be fox) you unless you are watchful. Study these examples and sharpen your clause (oops again!).

Incorrect	Correct
R Shakuntala, the custom official,virtually put	R Shakuntala, the customs official,virtually put
an end to smuggling,	an end to smuggling.
Shakuni was an expert in the game of dies.	Shakuni was an expert in the game of dice.
Force was brought in to curb the militant	Forces were brought in to curb the militant
activities.	activities.
Inventions are made by genii.	Inventions are made by geniuses.
The Queen's of England reaction was	The Queen of England's reaction was
important in the Diana episode.	important in the Diana episode.
I am going to Stephen Hawking's the	I am going to Stephen Hawking the
scientist's country.	scientist's country.
The audience listened to Javed and	The audience listened to Javed's and
Vajpayee's poems.	Vajpaee's poems.
The cart's wheel was broken.	The wheel of the cart was broken.
If you are the favourite of the Fortune, you	If you are Fortune's favourite, you might
might escape suffering while others suffer.	escape suffering while others suffer.
His house is at the throw of a stone from	His house is at a stone's throw from here.
here.
He wears glass to aid his short-sighted eyes.	He wears glasses to aid his short-sighted eyes.
Take care of the vixen as they are wily	Take care of the foxes as they are wily
creatures.	creatures.
	OR
	Take care of the vixen as she is a wily
a R	creature.
Who shall win if there is a contest between the	Who shall win if there is a contest between the
dwarves and the giants?	dwarfs and the giants?
The same board is used for chess as well as	The same board is used for chess as well as
draught.	draughts.
Children should not seek admissions to the	Children should not seek admission to the
elders' society,	elders' society.
The down-to-earth never forget the grounds on	The down-to-earth never forget the ground on
which they stand.	which they stand.
The law of indexes proves very helpful in	The law of indices proves very helpful in
algebraic calculations,	algebraic calculations.
The bright lamps gave much lights.	The bright lamps gave much light.
The practices of the lawyers vary from those	The practice of the lawyers varies from that of
of the doctors.	the doctors.
I spoke to Kumar Gaurav's the actor's	I spoke to Kumar Gaurav the actor's
secretary.	secretary.
There was no money in the bank in Maya's and	There was no money in the bank in Maya and
Veena's joint account.	Veena's joint account.
The cup's base was rounded.	The base of the cup was rounded.
You will be promoted in the time of a year.	You will be promoted in a year's time.
Mr. M is ready to make any sacrifice for the	Mr. M is ready to make any sacrifice for
sake of justice.	justice' sake.
Devendra Kaushik is Vishwanathan Anand of our	Devendra Kaushik is the Vishwanathan Anand of
chess circle,	our chess circle.
The fleet of ships move at a uniformspeed.	The fleet of ships moves at a uniformspeed.
Neelesh is Gandhiji of our class.	Neelesh is the Gandhiji of our class.
My friend brought two dozens eggs.	My friend bought two dozen eggs.
This cattle has been in trouble ever since the	These cattle have been in trouble ever since
famine,	the famine.
Cares of the old are necessary.	Care of the old is necessary.
A book is printed on papers.	A book is printed on paper.
The team members should listen to the advices	The team members should listen to the pieces
given by the captain and the manager.	of advice given by the captain and the
	manager.
She gives herself air whenever at a party.	She gives herself airs whenever at a party.
The cloths he wears are costly.	The clothes he wears are costly.
A realist sees a thing in its true colour.	A realist sees a thing in its true colours.
When you draw a circle, you use a compass.	When you draw a circle, you use compasses.

Subject-Verb Agreement revisited

Before we move on to the exercises, let us look at some more examples of SVA errors. Recapitulate and reinforce!

Incorrect	Correct
Among the constitutional rights we cherish	Among the constitutional rights we cherish
are freedom.	is freedom.
The group of protesters are blocking the entrance to	The group of protesters is blocking the entrance to
the building.	the building.
The annual rituals of the group confuses the	The annual rituals of the group confuse the
neighbours.	neighbours.
The quiz, as well as all workbook exercises, were	The quiz, as well as all workbook exercises, was
collected.	collected.
	Phrases such as 'as well as," "such as," 'along with,"
	"rather than, „ „with . "together with'; "in addition
	to'; 'tike'; 'and not',' 'no less than'; "rather than',
	'more than , 'unlike',' 'besides'. 'excluding',
	'accompanied by" and 'including" introduce it
The commander, with all his soldiers, were killed.	The commander, with all his soldiers, was killed.
The chief cashier, together with all his men, have been	The chief cashier, together with all his men, has
dismissed.	been dismissed.
He, as well as his friends, have failed.	He, as well as his friends, has failed.
Ram, like Mohan and Sohan, are fond of pictures.	Ram, like Mohan and Sohan, is fond of pictures.
A driver's license, together with two other pieces of	A driver's license, together with two other pieces o
identification, are required.	identification, is required.
The mayor as well as his brothers are going to prison.	The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.
The mayor and his brothers is going to jail.	The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.
The mayor, who has been convicted along with his four	The mayor, who has been convicted along with his
brothers on four counts of various crimes but who also	four brothers on four counts of various crimes but
seems, like a cat, to have several political lives, are	who also seems, like a cat, to have several political
finally going to jail.	lives, is finally going to jail.
His jacket, not his shirt or his socks, always seem to	His jacket, not his shirt or his socks, always seems
match his slacks.	to match his slacks.
Her birthday celebration, together with the upcoming	Her birthday celebration, together with the
holiday, make for a very full calendar.	upcoming holiday, makes for a very full calendar.
The war-torn country's only relief were the food and	The war-torn country's only relief was the food and
medical supplies dropped from the sky.	medical supplies dropped from the sky.
The explanation provided by the agency were farming	The explanation provided by the agency was
practices, population growth and international aid.	farming practices, population growth and
	international aid.
A mixture of materials were used to withstand high	A mixture of materials was used to withstand high
temperatures,	temperatures.
The woman who made those cakes are our next-door	The woman who made those cakes is our next-door
Neighbor.	neighbour.
The president and vice president, accompanied by	The president and vice president, accompanied
the board of directors, plans to vote against changing	by the board of directors, plan to vote against
The company rules.	Changing the company rules.